Mobile crane construction



Nov. 6, 1962 w. E. JOHNSON MOBILE CRANE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1960 WALTER E. JOHNSON FIG. 5

w w $94M ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiflce 3,062,386 MOBILE CRANE QONSTRUCTION Walter E. Johnson, 3211 W. 19th St., Topeka, Kans. Filed May 3, 1960, Ser. No. 26,590 12 Claims. (Cl. 212145) This invention relates to mobile cranes having extensible and retractable outrigger and jack supporting devices and more particularly the invention pertains to the means by which the outriggers and jack devices are actuated.

This application is a continuationin-part of co-pending application Serial No. 766,350, filed October 9, 1958, now abandoned.

Wrecking and repair cranes of the kind utilized by railroads must be capable of performing their functions under the most adverse conditions and in a minimum of time in order that the railroad tracks may be repaired or cleared as quickly as possible so as not to delay unduly freight and passenger trains. In many of the operations required to be performed by such cranes, it is necessary to extend the outriggers and the jack devices to provide suflicient stability to the cranes to overcome any possibility of their tipping. Cranes of the kind with which the invention is concerned have their outriggers and jack devices actuated by rotatable mechanisms and it is preferred that power means such as a pneumatic wrench be capable of actuating each of the rotatable mechanisms of a crane. When a power device such as a pneumatic wrench is applied to the rotatable actuator, considerable torque may be developed which is diflicult for a crewman to counteract without assistance from other members of the crew. Since crane crews are relatively small and have a number of functions to perform, it is not always possible to spare more than one man to operate the actuating devices without materially delaying the preparations for conditioning the crane for working operations or for movement after the working operations have been completed.

As has been referred to earlier, cranes of the kind under consideration must be available for use in all kinds of weather. During wintertime or in other periods of extremely cold weather, it is not unusual for the rotatable actuating mechanism for the outriggers and jacks to become covered with ice or frost to such an extent that it is not always possible for a pneumatic wrench to break the ice and effect operation of the actuating devices. Some of the cranes in use include manual devices which may be utilized in breaking the ice, but it has not been possible heretofore for a single crewman to operate both a pneumatic wrench and the manual apparatus simultaneously, so that one helps the other, because of the difliculty in overcoming the torque developed by a pneumatic wrench or the like.

An object of this invention is to provide power actuating means for the outriggers and jacks of a mobile crane construction and which may be operated by one man irrespective of the weather conditions existing at the time operation is desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for stabilizing power actuated means for operating the outriggers and jacks of a mobile crane so as to relieve a crewman from having to overcome torque.

A further object of the invention is to provide stabilizing means of the kind referred to which are uniform in every instance so as to enable the same power device to be used for actuating not only the outriggers, but also the jacks.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a mobile crane construction in which a single workman may use both power operated means and manual means simultaneously fc. actuating the outriggers of a crane.

3,052,386 Patented Nov. 6, 1962 Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out specifically or will become apparent from the following description when it is considered in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of a mobile crane constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, front elevational view of a portion of the crane shown in FIGURE 1, one of the outriggers and one of the jacks being shown in extended, crane supporting position;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, partly elevational and partly sectional view of stabilizing apparatus forming a part of the invention;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, vertical sectional view through one of the jacks mounted at an end of an outrigger;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary, top plan view of a portion of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary, enlarged, front elevational view of manual means for actuating an outrigger.

A mobile crane 0f the kind with which the invention is concerned is disclosed in FIGURE 1 as comprising a chassis or body I mounted upon trucks 2 provided with flanged wheels 3 adapted to roll upon rails 4 forming a railroad track. The body 1 is provided with a turntable 5 of conventional construction on which is rotatably mounted a cab 6 in which are housed an engine and operating controls. Pivoted on the cab 6 is a boom 7 which is controlled by a cable 8 and which is provided with a hook or magnet (not shown) that is controlled by a cable 9.

At each end of the body 1 is mounted a housing 10 comprising a number of frame elements 11 and 12 and in each housing is mounted a pair of extensible and retractable outriggers designated by the reference character 13. One of the pair of outriggers at each end of the crane is adapted to be extended laterally towards the left and the other is adapted to be extended laterally towards the right. In all other respects, each of the outriggers is the same, so only one need be shown and described in detail. The outrigger selected for detailed disclosure may be considered as being the outrigger at either the right hand end at the front of the crane or the left hand end at the rear of the crane.

The outrigger 13 may be of I-beam construction having upper and lower flanges 14 and 15, respectively, interconnected by a web 16. The outrigger is supported upon rollers 17 journaled in the housing members 11 and 12 and the height of the outrigger is slightly less than the height of the housing 10 for a purpose which will be pointed out subsequently. Means for effecting extension and retraction of the outrigger 13 comprises a rotatable device 18 including a shaft 19 having a squared outer end 19a (see FIGURE 7) journaled in a bearing support 20 which includes a flange 21 that may be mounted by means of bolts 22 or the like on the frame member 12. The shaft 19 extends inwardly of the housing and terminates at a position between the flanges 14 and 15. The terminal end of the shaft 19 has a pulley or sprocket wheel 23 keyed thereto so that the rotation of the shaft 19 will impart rotation to the wheel 23.

Means interconnects the device 18 and the outrigger 13 for effecting movements of the outrigger in response to rotation of the shaft 19 and comprises a flexible cable or sprocket chain 24 having one of its ends anchored to a post 25 mounted on the outrigger web 16 near the lower flange 15. The other end of the chain 24 is connected to an I-bolt 26 which is slideably mounted in a bracket 27 secured to the lower surface of the outrigger flange 14. Associated with the bolt 26 is a spring 28 and an adjustable nut 29 which cooperate to maintain the element 24 under proper tension.

The chain 24 includes an upper run which extends substantially the full length of the outrigger 13 and is trained around a rotatable sprocket wheel 30 aligned with the wheel 23 and journaled on a stub shaft 30a that is welded or otherwise suitably fixed on the housing 10. From the sprocket wheel 30 the chain passes around the sprocket wheel 23 and thence proceeds to the post 25. Although a sprocket chain and sprocket wheels are shown in the drawings, they may be replaced by a flexible cable and pulleys. The only difference which would be required in the alternative arrangement would be the looping of a cable twice around a sheave substituted for the sprocket wheel 23.

At the outer end of each of the outriggers 13 is fixed a jack device designated generally by the reference character 31 and which comprises a housing 32 including a mounting flange 33 which may be fixed to the web of the outrigger 13 by suitable means such as bolts 33a. The housing 32 is hollow and has welded or otherwise suitably fixed therein a vertically extending post 34 on which is provided a spline tooth or key 35. Slideably mounted on the post 34 is a screw threaded element 36 having a bore 37 and a keyway 38 which respectively receive the post 34 and the key 35. The threaded member 36 extends through an opening 39 formed in the lower part of the housing 32 and is provided at its lower end with a swivelable supporting foot 40 of known construction.

Also mounted within the housing 32 is a rotatable sleeve-like element 41 having threads formed on its inner surface to mate with the threads of the threaded element 36. The element 41 is provided with external gear teeth 42 which are adapted to mesh with the teeth of an actuating pinion 43, the latter being keyed or otherwise suitably secured to a spindle 44 which is mounted in the housing 32 for rotation above an axis parallel to the axis of the screw element 36. The upper end of the spindle 44 is squared as at 45 and is received in a well or recess 46 formed in the upper surface of the housing 32. The construction and arrangement of the parts of the jack 31 are such that rotation of the spindle 44 will cause vertical movement of the element 36 so as to extend or retract the latter with respect to the housing 32.

It is preferred that power means such as a pneumatic wrench 47 be utilized in effecting movements of the outriggers and the jacks. Such wrenches are known and include a body portion 48 in which are housed impellers, gears, and the like, which are responsive to air pressure to effect rotation in one direction or the other of a spindle 49 mounted in a suitable housing structure 50 and having one of its ends provided with a socket 51 of such size as to receive the squared ends of the rotatable shafts 19 and 44. Suitable switches or valves (not shown) also are incorporated in the wrench 47 to control the direction of rotation of the operating spindle 49. The wrench may be coupled to a flexible hose 52 or the like to a source of compressed air located within the cab of the crane.

When using the pneumatic wrench 47 to actuate the outriggers and jacks, considerable torque is apt to be developed on the wrench which must be counteracted in order that the full power of the wrench may be applied to actuating the Outriggers and jacks. Means for stabilizing the wrench and, consequently, counteracting the torque comprises a harness device 53 (see particularly FIGURE 4) composed of a substantially U-shaped yoke 54 having arms 55 spaced apart a distance sufiicient to receive snugly a portion of the body 48 of a wrench. The arms 55 may be welded or otherwise rigidly secured to a projecting stem 56 which is adapted to be received 4- in socket members 57 and 58 located adjacent to the devices 18 and 31, respectively. The socket member 57 may comprise a tubular member rigidly secured to the housing member 12 and the socket member 58 may comprise a similar tubular member rigidly secured to the jack housing 32.

The yoke 54 may be separate and apart from the wrench 47, but it is preferred that the yoke be rigidly clamped to the wrench. To accomplish this objective, the harness 53 includes a clamp bar 59 having openings at its ends adapted to receive the arms of the yoke, the clamping bar 59 being so shaped as to complement the shape of the wrench body against which it is to bear. In order to maintain the bar 59 in clamping engagement against the wrench 47, the ends of the yoke arms 55 may be threaded for the reception of lock nuts 60. Inasmuch as it is preferred that the yoke 54 be rigidly connected to the wrench 47, it is important that the socket members 57 and 58 of the stabilizing means be located the same distance from the axes of rotation of their respective operating shafts 19 and 44.

The operating parts of the jack devices are fairly well protected from weather, due to their being located, for the main part, wholly within the housing 32. The operating parts for actuating the outriggers, however, are more exposed to weather, so it is possible for frost and ice to form on the sprocket wheels and chains and make it difficult for the wrench 47 to apply enough force to the shaft 19 to cause operation of the mechanism 18. Accordingly, manually operable means 61 is associated with the mechanism 18 for enabling a crew member to assist the operation of the wrench 47 when desired.

The apparatus 61 includes a lever arm 62 Which is loosely mounted at one end on the shaft 19. The free end of tne lever is bell-shaped and is provided with a socket 63 adapted to receive one end of an extension lever 64, by means of which considerable leverage may be applied to the arm 62. Pivotally mounted on the lever arm 62 by means of a pin 64 is a substantially half-moonshaped ratchet pawl 65 which normally is maintained in a neutral position by the force of a spring pressed pin 66 mounted in a housing 67 on the arm 62 and having its outer end received in a notch formed in the pawl 65. The pawl 65 easily may be moved from its neutral position by means of an operating handle 68 which is secured at one end to the pawl. A toothed ratchet wheel 69 is keyed to the shaft 19 so as to rotate with the latter and the ratchet wheel is located in a position to be engaged by the tooth at either end of the pawl 65 when the latter is moved from its neutral position. With a tooth of the pawl 65 in engagement with a tooth of the ratchet wheel 69, the application of force to rotate the lever arm 62 will cause corresponding rotation of the ratchet wheel 69 and of the haft 19.

To condition the apparatus for operation of the crane at a particular location, the wrench 47, carrying the yoke 54, may have the stem 56 fitted in the socket member 57 adjacent to the apparatus 18 and the fitting 51 on the wrench spindle fitted on the squared end 19a of the shaft 19. Power then may be applied to the shaft 19 to cause rotation of the sprocket wheel 23 in a direction to effect extension of the outrigger 13. If conditions are such that the Wrench is incapable of moving the outrigger under its own power, the operator need use only one hand to steady the wrench, inasmuch as the wrench will be supported by the harness 53 and the shaft 19, and use the other hand to manipulate the manual apparatus 61 so as to assist the wrench in actuating the outrigger.

When the outrigger 13 has been extended the desired distance, the wrench 47 may be disconnected from the apparatus 18 and connected instead to the jack 31 so as to cause extension of the leg 36. During the extension of the jack part 36, the torque of the wrench will be taken up or absorbed by the harness parts 54 and 58.

It is customary to utilize blocks 70 of wood or the like to provide a rigid bearing surface against which the foot 41) of a jack may bear. Such blocks are shown in FIG- URE 2. When a jack has been extended to bear against its supporting surface, the outrigger 13 will be canted or tilted somewhat, due to the slight clearance between its upper flange 14 and the housing 10. The tilting of the outrigger causes the upper flange to bear against the upper wall of the housing so as to provide a frictional resistance to inadvertent movement of the outrigger. AS an outrigger is tilted, its movement within the housing will cause its inner end to bear against a supporting block 71 which may be fixed to the housing in any suitable manner. The engagement of the inner end of an outrigg r with the block will permit the outrigger to be raised from the rollers 17 and thereby avoid possible damage to the latter during working operations of the crane. The outriggers also are maintained in extended position by means of a pin 72 (see FIGURE 2) which may extend through aligned openings in the member 12 and in the web 16 of the outrigger beam. The pin 72 also may be used to maintain the outrigger in retracted position during move ment of the crane from place to place, and for this purpose the web 16 of the beam has a second opening 73 therein near its outer end which also is adapted to receive the pin 72.

The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a mobile crane or the like having a housing member, at least one support member mounted on said housing member for movements relative thereto from a retracted position to an extended position and return, portable power means, a rotatable device carried by one of said members and being adapted for connection to and rotation by said power means, and means interconnecting said device and the other of said members operable to effect movements of said support member in response to rotation of said device: the combination of stabilizing means carried by said one of said members for removably supporting and stabilizing said power means during operation thereof.

2. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said support member comprises an outrigger mounted for movements laterally of said housing member.

3. The construction set forth in claim 2 wherein said rotatable device is mounted on said housing member.

4. The construction set forth in claim 3 wherein said interconnecting means comprises a flexible element connected at its ends to said outrigger and having a connection intermediate its ends with said rotatable device.

5. The construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said support member includes a jack screw mounted for vertical movements.

6. In a mobile crane or the like having a housing member, an outrigger member mounted on said housing member for movements relative thereto from a retracted position to an extended position and return, a jack mounted on said outrigger and having a part mounted for vertical movement from a retracted position to an extended position and return, portable power means, a first rotatable device associated with said outrigger member and adapted to be driven by said power means, means interconnecting said device and said outrigger for moving the latter in response to rotation of said device, a second rotatable device associated with said jack and adapted to be rotated by said power means, and means interconnecting said second device and said part of said jack for moving said part in response to rotation of said second device: the combination of first stabilizing means supported by said housing member and located a predetermined distance from the axis of rotation of said first device; and second stabilizing means supported by said outrigger and located a predetermined distance from the axis of rotation of said second device, each of said stabilizing means being operable to removably support and stabilize said power means during operation thereof.

7. The construction set forth in claim 6 wherein each of said stabilizing means is located the same distance from the axis of rotation of its associated device.

8. The construction set forth in claim 6 wherein each of said stabilizing means comprises a socket element and a projecting element adapted to be received in said socket element, one of said elements being mounted adjacent to its respective rotatable device and the other of said elements being mounted on said power means.

9. The construction set forth in claim 8 wherein said projecting element is mounted on said power means.

10. The construction set forth in claim 9 wherein said projecting element includes a harness structure for maintaining said projecting element in fixed relation to said power means.

11. A mobile crane comprising a housing member; at least one support member mounted on said housing member for movements relative thereto from a retracted position to an extended position and return; portable power means; a rotatable device carried by one of said members and being adapted for rotation by said power means; means interconnecting said device and the other of said members operable to effect movements of said support member in response to rotation of said device; manually operable apparatus associated with said device and including means selectively engageable with and disengageable from said device for assisting the latter to effect movements of said support member; and stabilizing means carried by one of said members for removably supporting and stabilizing said power means during operation thereof.

12. The construction set forth in claim 11 wherein said manually operable apparatus includes a ratchet wheel forming part of said rotatable device and wherein said selectively engageable and disengageable means includes a pawl movable selectively into and out of engagement with said ratchet wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 297,287 Osgood Apr. 22, 1884 1,883,538 Bywater Oct. 18, 1932 2,162,257 Hoecker June 13, 1939 2,365,169 Billings Dec. 19, 1944 2,462,926 Wilson Mar. 1, 1949 2,663,433 Le Clair Dec. 22, 1953 2,691,450 Rosenbaum Oct. 12, 1954 2,733,817 Course Feb. 7, 1956 

